Tacky and in bad taste. How can a book be so bad? The title made this seem like a good bet but nope, un-uh. Don't even bother.

A decidedly average essay collection. I loved some of these essays and loathed others. Helen Ellis has a strong voice that shines through all of her writing, but sometimes she misses the mark with humor. She leads such a clearly privileged life that it's often hard to relate to some of the things she deals with (ex. having to buy a new $1,500 Burberry coat after she misplaces her old one). Also, as a born and bred Southern Lady™️ myself, I really wanted this to be more... Southern. With themed essay collections, I like the thread of the theme to be present throughout each essay, and I felt like this theme often got lost.

I liked Southern Lady Code more than Ellis's first collection. As a Southern Lady (TM) myself, I related to many of the stories, and they were all extremely compelling, nonjudgmental, and fun to read. I did appreciate how it wasn't too "judgemental" of the South, which has been a hotly contested topic of late.
A+ funnies.

I fell in love with Ms. Ellis’s writing with American Housewofe and was thrilled to see she this title available for request. She did not disappoint! Be prepared for joyous laughter.

Let me start by saying that I am not from the south. I am smack dab in the middle of the US.

This was OK, not great and quite frankly I did not think that it was particularly funny. There were a few chuckles, but most of the time, I was just searching/hoping for those laugh out loud moments.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Double Day Books for this advanced readers copy.

Bless her heart, this is a laugh-out loud collection of essays. As a born and bred Yankee, who has lived her whole adult life in the south and whose children were all born and bred in the south, I can say very nicely that this book is a hoot!

Memoirs of a Manhattan transplant from the South provide many light-hearted episodes and a few thought-provoking passages. For the most part, this is a light read that would work well with a busy schedule or on vacation. The sections are short and interesting.

Laugh out loud funny! Being a lady from the South I can totally relate! Only complaint is she didn’t say Bless her heart, like I said it’s the South.

This book is hilarious it will have you laughing out loud with these twenty three essays. With writer Helen Ellis' mantra "if you don't have something nice to say, say something not-so-nice in a nice way. Say "weathered" instead of "she looks like a cake left out in the rain." This a book that will have you hooked from the start and you will not want to put it down until you are finished which won't take long as this book is a fast read because it is so fun, especially if you are from the south you will be laughing and saying yes, and if you are not from the south than it will give you more insight. Either way this is a fun book for all.


Review will be posted on publish date

Helen Ellis' Southern Lady Code is a fine choice for summer reading this year. Irreverent, charming, and many times laugh-out-loud funny, the author relates stories from her past which Southerners will attest fall strictly into the Southern canon of common experience: family heirlooms, ghosts, cleaning house, storytelling, getting pregnant, staying childless, marriage, writing a thank you note, the virtues of Burberry, anything made with mayonnaise, and the meaning of certain phraseology like "early developed", "wheelhouse", "vintage" and "put together." Her prose is effortless and much like reading a letter from a dear girlfriend. A wonderful choice for an afternoon read!

This is my first dive into anything Helen Ellis, so I wasn't riding a wave of pre-established affection. Ellis is an American Housewife (the title of one of her previous books), born in Alabama before relocating and settling in Manhattan. Southern Lady Code details her reflections on and rules of being a southerner in the elite, uppercrust world of upper Manhattan. While I smiled at a few of her comments (being a Texan who lived in Brooklyn for a few years), nothing caused me to laugh out loud. This might resonate better with an audience of similar peers, but it felt a bit too niche and out of the way for me.

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I loved Helen Ellis's short story collection American Housewife, so I was excited about her new book of essays. This was a super quick read, and Ellis is fun. I did really like some of them - especially the essay on not having children, one about switching her trench coat with a mystery woman, and another highlighting the misogyny of Twitter's policies. Ultimately though I felt the collection was a little uneven, and I was looking for more depth in some of the pieces. I'd recommend this if you are looking for a quick read, but I'd say definitely read American Housewife if you haven't.

This is a fun glimpse into a charming Southern lady! My only complaint about this book is that I wanted more. I've heard of American Housewife, but never read it. After finishing Southern Lady Code I immediately went to my library to place a hold on it.

I'm a big fan. Ellis is a true wordsmith -- she's incredibly funny, creative, and sharp. I want to be friends with her.

This book is like listening to your favorite aunt in a quiet restaurant loudly sharing her experiences until you want to melt under the table and not crawl out until they start running the vacuum at the end of the night. Helen is brash, and brutally honest and funny as hell and you will read this book far too fast! She's the lady you roll your eyes at but secretly admire for her forward nature wrapped in Southern charm so sweet that you wouldn't know she was insulting you until she'd long left the room. I adored her brazen approach to life's insults, little and big, and self-depreciating manner. You'll picture at least a half a dozen actresses playing her (I picture Jessica Lang, Delta Burke and Reese Witherspoon immediately!) but none will come close to the woman herself. Well done, Helen! Bravo!

This book is not out until April 2019, but I'm putting info here now as a placeholder for an extended review. This is more of a preview for a book that I really enjoyed! Definitely worth putting aside another book I was reading to delve into Helen Ellis's world. (posted on Goodreads)

It's always fun to read essays. They are a nice break from longer works. I really like Helen's point of view and I look forward to getting this into the hands of readers at my library.

I have to start with a personal note to Helen Ellis: I love you! Ms. Ellis, you had me at black honey lip gloss and hair bows! I very much enjoyed the short stories that will speak to women who grew up in the 80s. I am not from the south but women from the south really seem to know how to tell a story. Helen Ellis shares her personal thoughts, opinions and experiences in a very entertaining way. I am not usually a fan of short stories but these are told in a way that paints a picture for the reader and most women will find the stories very relatable. I love your voice Helen Ellis!

Oh the life of a Southern Lady. I can tell you it is not easy. And this funny book of short essays gives those uninitiated in the ways of being a Southern Lady a good look at how it is done. 

Ms. Ellis holds back nothing on the topics we all must deal with. How to be a Southern Lady in a time and place where people just don't know about such things as the thank-you note rules, ghostly happenings, shooting guns and my favorite, monogramming!

We have a saying in our family. If it sits still long enough Momma will monogram it. There are rules. And I for one am happy that the author is fighting the good fight among the Yankees. Keep up the good work and thanks for the laughs and memories! There was not a single story I didn't identify with!

Netgalley and April 16th 2019 by Doubleday Books

Ever since my college girlfriend recommended Eating the Cheshire Cat to me, I have eagerly awaited another Helen Ellis book - and was thrilled when American Housewife came out last (?) year. I was even more excited to see that Southern Lady Code was a series of nonfiction essays about this author that I've gotten a little obsessed by -- she's sweet (she's Southern, after all), but still a little prickly and darkly comic about it all.

Oh, and this book is a great reminder of the importance of a proper thank-you note.

A collection of essays that explain what a Southern Lady really means. It makes you laugh as you realize it is what you are thinking and wish you could say when confronted with the behaviors or situations.